


Approval Rating

by mm8



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Meeting the Parents, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-12
Updated: 2009-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-03 10:32:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm8/pseuds/mm8
Summary: Fred meets her parents for the first time.





	Approval Rating

"Why aren't we going in?" Fred asked anxiously.

"I wanted to have a chat."

"Hermione, you've told me all week to be on my best behavior. I'm not a child--"

She squeezed his hand. "I want you to make good impression."

"Don't you want me to be myself? Do you want me to act like that pompous arse, Percy?"

"Fred, you know Percy has changed!"

"Why can't I be myself?"

"I never said that."

"You did!"

"Fred, I don't want to fight--"

"You started--""

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

They turned to Fred's window and standing on the other side was Mrs. Granger. Fred rolled it down and gave her a broad grin. "Hey mum, what's up?"

Hermione bit her lip as she watched her mother's infamous scowl of disapproval appear.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

"Fred?" Mr. Granger poked at the beef in his stew. "What exactly do you do?"

"Your daughter." 

Mr. Granger growled, "I mean for a living. Or do you have the misfortune of being unemployed?"

"Fred owns his own business." Hermione smiled, encouragingly.

He sounded impressed. "What kind of business, then?"

"Choke… swap." Fred mumbled through bites.

"Did you say joke shop?"

"Yep! My brother and I started it a few years ago."

Mrs. Granger rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Hermione, what happened to Ron?"

"He's fine, Mrs. Granger." Fred's voice was emotionless. "He's engaged to someone else."

Mrs. Granger asked sheepishly, "When did that happen?"

"Ron was dating Pansy while we were still together, mum. I told you that." Hermione replied sternly.

"Why this boy, Hermione? Why did you have to date Ron's brother? Why him when Ron showed much more promise than this los--"

Fred slammed his hand on the table, making everyone to jump. "That's it! I've had enough!"

"F-Fred, please." Hermione pleaded, tugging on his shirt sleeve.

"No, Hermione. All night I've had to deal with your parents dissecting every move I made, not even giving me a chance. All they want is Ron. Do you know what he did to your daughter!?" 

"Fred, don't!"

"Did you know he came home every night in a drunken stupor and beat her senseless? Didn't you wonder where all those black eyes came from? All those scars on her arms when she--"

"FRED!" Hermione sobbed, "That's enough." She buried her face in his chest.

He stroked her long hair, letting the strands strain through his fingers. Fred bent down, kissed the top of her head and whispered apologizes. "Let me just say one thing." His voice was calm now. "Ron maybe my brother, but he fucked her up. That's something I will never forgive him for. I was there for Hermione when he was at his worst. You may not approve of us, but you're going to have to deal with it. Maybe someday you'll realize that I'll be a damn good husband, a better one than Ron ever could have been."

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

"Thank you for joining us, Fred."

He said nothing as he scowled across the table at Hermione's parents. They had called him up a few days ago, asking to meet them at a Muggle café in London. 

"Fred, we've had to give this some thought." Mr. Granger began in his baritone voice. "We should not have made assumptions before we got to know you."

"Damn straight." He snarled. 

Mrs. Granger rested her hand on top of her husband's. "Hermione never told us that Ron was like that. She's always kept her private life from us. All that we knew was that she and Ron had a row and broke up. Then all of a sudden, she calls us up, informing us that she's dating you and wouldn't we like to meet you? It… was a bit strange, if you can imagine. Hermione had told us that Ron was good to her. Not that…" She sniffled. "We didn't know."

"After the other night, we grasped that you care for her greatly. If it's okay, we'd like to start over." He extended his hand with a hopeful expression.

Fred cautiously reached out and shook.

"I hope we have a good relationship with you." Mr. Granger smiled enthusiastically, teeth gleaming. "By the way, call me Geoffery."

"I'm Donna." Mrs. Granger beamed.

Fred took a sip of his coffee. "Can I ask you something?" 

"Anything."

"How do two people with ordinary names end up naming their daughter Hermione?"

All three laughed and Fred smiled. Perhaps he'd grown to like Mr.-- Geoffery and Donna after all.


End file.
